John R. Gibson

John Robert Gibson (December 20, 1925 – April 19, 2014) was a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Early life and education

Born in Springfield, Missouri, Gibson was a sergeant in the United States Army from 1944 to 1946. He received an A.B. in 1949 from the University of Missouri, followed by a J.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in 1952. ^[1] He was in private practice of law in Kansas City, Missouri from 1952 to 1981.

Federal judicial service

Gibson was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on July 9, 1981, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri vacated by Elmo B. Hunter. Confirmed by the United States Senate on September 16, 1981, Gibson received his commission three days later. His service was terminated on March 30, 1982, due to appointment to another judicial position.

On February 2, 1982, Gibson was nominated by Reagan to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit that had been vacated by Judge Floyd Robert Gibson, who had assumed senior status. President Jimmy Carter previously had nominated Howard F. Sachs to the seat, but Sachs' nomination was not acted upon by the U.S. Senate before Carter's presidency ended, and Reagan chose not to renominate Sachs. Reagan initially had brought forth the name of Hallmark Cards associate general counsel Judith Whittaker (born June 12, 1938) as a nominee to replace Floyd Gibson. However, after it emerged that Whittaker had supported the Equal Rights Amendment, conservatives opposing her nomination launched a letter-writing campaign objecting to her nomination, and Whittaker eventually withdrew her name from consideration.^[2][3]

On March 4, 1982, the Senate confirmed John R. Gibson, and he received his commission on March 9, 1982.^[1]

Gibson assumed senior status on January 1, 1994^[1] and died on April 19, 2014.^[4]

See also

• Jimmy Carter judicial appointment controversies

References

• John R. Gibson at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.